Purpose: :
To assess the long term sequelae, principally time–to–first–recurrence,of phototherapeutic keratectomy (PTK) for the treatment of recurrentcorneal erosion syndrome (RCES).

Methods: :
A retrospective case series was performed. Thirty–nineeyes in 33 patients with RCES required PTK and were treatedusing the VISX STAR Excimer Laser System. The data was analyzedwith the Kaplan Meier survival estimate.

Results: :
Patients were characterized by the cause of their RCES.Over 50% had epithelial corneal dystrophies, 31% were post–traumatic,and 15% were idiopathic. Overall, 25% of eyes had a recurrenceby 3 months, 36% had a recurrence by 9 months, and the 50% recurrencerate was not observed in our study follow–up period. Themean follow–up time was 17.4 months. Of those who hada primary recurrence, 38% had a second and 15% had a third.Visual acuity was slightly decreased within the 2 weeks followingsurgery, and 10% of patients developed transient haze. No seriousadverse effects were reported.

Conclusions: :
PTK is an important treatment of RCES refractoryto other therapies. Long–term data suggest that most patientstreated with PTK do not develop recurrences, and side effectsfrom PTK are minimal.